Greek Fascists Set to Become Part of New Provisional Government

COMMENT: In the wake of the economic and political turmoil sweeping Europe as a result of the Eurozone debt crisis, Greece[2] has formed a new coalition government, one of whose participants is the LAOS party.

Reported to have played a major role in the formation of the new provisional government and possibly in line for a ministerial post, LAOS party leader George Karatzaferis has voiced a number of anti-Semitic statements, casting doubt on the reality of the Holocaust and intimating that Jews were behind the 9/11 attack.

It will be interesting to see if the global financial crisis feeds anti-Semitic politics and sentiment, with the old saw about the Jews running the banks gaining new life in certain circles.

EXCERPT: . . . Greek media reported Thursday that Karatzaferis played a central role in the steps that led to the establishment of a government that would try to navigate Greece out of its debt crisis by implementing a European financial plan. The reports also said he was set to be part of the new government.

Reports claim that in the last few years, Karatzaferis made a long line of anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli statements. After the 9/11 attacks in New York, the politician posed the question “why were all the Jews warned not to come to work that day?” before the Greek parliament.

On a televised debate with Israel’s ambassador to Greece he said: “Lets talk about all these tales of Auschwitz and Dachau”; in 2002 during a parliament session he asked the then Greek prime minister: “Is it true that your daughter secretly married a Jew?”; and during Operation Cast Lead in 2008, Karatzaferis said that the IDF was acting “with savage brutality only seen in Hitler’s time towards helpless people.”

Greek media reported that LAOS, the Popular Orthodox Rally party – an extreme right party established by Karatzaferis in 2000 with 7% of the vote in the last elections – will most likely be a partner in the national unity government.

They will join the government together with the left-wing PASOK party which has been in power until only recently, and the right-wing New Democracy party. It was claimed that Karatzaferis may even take up a role as a minister. . . .